MACON, Ga. — Through two weeks of the NFL season, we’ve learned that every week is different in this league. As soon as you think you have a read on every one of the 32 teams, you don’t. Surprises keep coming.
From surprise 0-2 teams to surprise 2-0 teams, week three offers some intriguing and crucial matchups that could shape the first half of the NFL season. Beginning with a physical AFC North matchup and ending with one of the NFL’s most historic rivalries, let’s dive in to what should be another great week of NFL football.
Thursday Night Football: Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cleveland Browns – 8:15 p.m. on Amazon Prime Video (Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit, Kaylee Hartung)
Radio: Westwood One (Ian Eagle, Jason McCourty)
A physical division rivalry kicks off week three of the NFL season. Both teams entering with question marks surrounding their quarterbacks, both teams have their strengths and both teams are looking for a crucial division win early in the season.
Pittsburgh is coming off an ugly loss to New England that showed how severely limited their offense is. Their defense is really good, but how long can it continue to do what it’s been doing until the lack of offensive production catches up to them?
Cleveland is coming off a loss that happens once every 25 years, up 13 with less than two minutes left. That just doesn’t happen. Nick Chubb had three rushing touchdowns in that game against the Jets, but can he keep carrying the Browns offense until DeShaun Watson comes back? Jacoby Brissett has filled in admirably for Watson, but can he be a difference maker and really start to take over the games? Amari Cooper certainly helped Brissett last week with nine catches for 101 yards and a touchdown.
These games are often physical and low-scoring. There’s not much offense and many big plays in this game when these two teams get together, and I expect more of the same tonight.
Game pick: Browns 21 Steelers 14
Kansas City Chiefs @ Indianapolis Colts – 1 p.m. on CBS (Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson)
This game has produced surprising results the last two matchups, but now the Colts enter reeling early in the season while the Chiefs enter off to another strong 2-0 start.
Kansas City is still the front-runners in the AFC West and one of the best teams in the AFC after beating the Chargers last week on Thursday Night Football. It’s no Tyreek Hill, no problem for this team. Patrick Mahomes can still make all the throws, and the defense stepped up with a crucial pick six in the fourth quarter last week.
Indianapolis uncharacteristically struggled in their opening two-game road trip. They barely managed a tie to a meager Houston team and then got shutout by the Jaguars. After rushing for 161 yards on 31 carries against Houston, running back Jonathan Taylor managed just 54 on nine carries last week. One player who could be returning this week to provide a huge spark is linebacker Shaquille Leonard. Leonard is an absolute game-changer, both as a tackler and a turnover forcer.
The Colts are, typically, a fundamentally sound team that beat the Chiefs in Arrowhead in week five of 2019. If they are on top of their game, they can control the clock with their ground game and suffocate opposing offenses with their defense. And in the wildness of the early NFL season, I think they’re prime to upset the Chiefs for their first win of the season.
Game pick: Colts 27 Chiefs 20
Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots – 1 p.m. on FOX (Joe Davis, Daryl Johnston, Pam Oliver)
This used to a premiere matchup in the AFC, including three times in four years in the playoffs. Now, there’s still some importance to this matchup, but the tide has turned.
FOX Sports Colin Cowherd said last week that New England is not culturally with the times of the NFL. Bill Belichick does not fit in with the modern NFL with his team and style of coaching. It worked for 20 years, but it’s not working right now with their personnel and coaching staff. And it all started to fall apart against the Ravens in 2019, on Sunday Night Football with Lamar Jackson running all over the Patriots defense. Since then, the Patriots have been no match for dynamic quarterbacks in the NFL.
Speaking of Lamar Jackson, he’s off to a hot start this season. He looks healthy, his arm looks electric, and he’s got the Ravens off to a sizzling start. The only problem is their blown 21-point lead in the fourth quarter against Miami.
This game could go either way, but, and I still can’t believe I’m saying this, but I can’t trust Bill Belichick against dynamic quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson.
Game pick: Ravens 31 Patriots 21
Green Bay Packers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 4:25 p.m. on FOX (Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olson, Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi)
These two teams have been two of the NFC’s best the last few seasons. What a great early-season matchup this is.
Green Bay bounced back against Chicago last week on Sunday night, and did so behind a strong performance by Packers running back Aaron Jones. It was also the Packers new receivers stepping up to help quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the passing game, a game where Rodgers also threw for his 450th touchdown pass in his career.
While Tom Brady hasn’t posted a prolific performance yet this season, he has made some big throws to get the Buccaneers to 2-0. Plus, he always saves his best for big games, right? But he’ll have to lead Tampa in this game without number one receiver Mike Evans, who is suspended for throwing a punch at Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore.
What’s been the best part about Tampa Bay has been their defense, a unit that forced five turnovers last week in their 20-10 win at New Orleans. In addition, they’ve only given up one touchdown all season.
This was a marquee game before the schedule came out, and also before Davante Adams left Green Bay for Las Vegas. If Tampa’s offense gets going in this game, that might be a difference.
Game pick: Buccaneers 31 Packers 21
Sunday Night Football: San Francisco 49ers @ Denver Broncos – 8:20 p.m. on NBC (Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, Melissa Stark)
Radio: Westwood One (Ryan Radtke, Mike Golic)
This game is weird, yet intriguing. Two teams that have playoff aspirations, but are either of them are actually playoff-caliber teams?
Let’s start with San Francisco. Thank G*d they kept Jimmy Garoppolo on the roster. Otherwise, they would be in major trouble. Now that he is the starting quarterback, this 49ers roster suddenly is now at the level of last year’s and the one that went to the Super Bowl in 2019. As long as Jimmy G doesn’t turn the ball over, this 49ers team will be in every game on their schedule. Plus, once George Kittle returns, this offense will be able to better complement their stellar defense.
Denver might be the most underwhelming team in the league. Like, what have those first two games been? Sure they won last week, but their home crowd was booing and mocking them. It’s a matter of quarterback Russell Wilson and head coach Nathaniel Hackett getting on the same page. The talent is there, and the defense is playing really well. So once the offense gets cooking, the Broncos can be a really good team.
And the reason why I’m riding with Denver here is Russell Wilson has been excellent against the 49ers in his career. That will continue on Sunday.
Game pick: Broncos 24 49ers 17
Monday Night Football: Dallas Cowboys @ New York Giants – 8:30 p.m. on ESPN and ABC (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters)
Radio: Westwood One (Kevin Harlan, Kurt Warner)
I’m so happy we have a high-stakes Cowboys Giants matchup. This is how the rivalry should be. Both teams are relevant, and this game could play a large role in determining the NFC East race.
The Giants have been a pleasant surprise the first two weeks of the season. They’ve eked out wins against Tennessee and Carolina, but they’re showing a much different fight and culture than in years past. That’s a credit to new head coach Brian Daboll. Furth-year Quarterback Daniel Jones is still a work in progress, but running back Saquon Barkley is running the ball well and the defense is doing its part to keep opponents off the scoreboard. They’re not a flashy team, but the Giants are here to compete this season.
After being written off after week one, Dallas responded with a huge win over the reigning AFC champion Bengals last week. Backup quarterback Cooper Rush was stellar, leading a game-winning drive for the second time in as many starts. Dallas also got the run game going last week, and they have shredded the Giants with their running game the past few years. On defense, Micah Parsons is making a strong early case for defensive player of the year with 2 sacks last week and two more tackles for loss. He’s unblockable, and the Giants inexperienced offensive line will have their hands full with him.
Again, the Giants are going to be much more competitive than years past. The Cowboys looked done after week one, but there is now new life injected into them with their win last week. But Dallas needs to take care of business with three of their next four games coming against division opponents.
Game pick: Cowboys 24 Giants 14
Other Games
New Orleans Saints @ Carolina Panthers – 1 p.m. on FOX (Dan Hellie, Matt Millen, Lindsay Czarniak)
A tricky division game. Carolina has given New Orleans trouble over the last few years, and the Saints aren’t that much better than Carolina this year. The question with the Saints is what version of Jameis Winston will we get each week? Last week it was the one that threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter. Carolina has lost two really close games to start the season, but I think they break through this week.
Game pick: Panthers 21 Saints 14
Houston Texans @ Chicago Bears – 1 p.m. on CBS (Andrew Catalon, James Lofton, Michael Grady)
Is anyone outside of Houston and Chicago genuinely interested in this game? I will say this: I like some of the pieces the Bears have on both sides of the ball.
Game pick: Bears 20 Texans 13
Buffalo Bills @ Miami Dolphins – 1 p.m. on CBS (Kevin Harlan, Trent Green, Melanie Collins)
This is the game I’m most looking forward to this week. Of all the rivalries in the NFL, Bills-Dolphins often gets overlooked. But this game is probably the most significant Bills-Dolphins game since the 90s.
Buffalo looks every bit the Super Bowl favorites right now. Their offense is rolling, and their defense is stifling. Miami, with their new-look offense, passed their first test of the season on Sunday by overcoming a 21-point fourth quarter deficit to beat the Ravens n Baltimore.
The Bills have crushed the Dolphins in the previous few meetings, but Tua is a much better quarterback now and the Dolphins are a much better team. Expect this game to be close, but I’m going with the locomotive in the Bills.
Game pick: Bills 31 Dolphins 24
Detroit Lions @ Minnesota Vikings – 1 p.m. on FOX (Brandon Gaudin, Brady Quinn, Megan Olivi)
This is a big division game. It’s going to get overlooked, but for these two teams; it’s very important here early in the season.
Don’t get caught up in the Lions being an NFL darling this year. They are really solid on offense with some good weapons and a stout offensive line.
Minnesota is way more talented than what we saw on Monday Night Football last week. But they barley beat Detroit last year at home and then lost to them on the road. This is Detroit’s first road game this year, so I’ll take the Vikings for that reason. But the Lions are not a pushover.
Game pick: Vikings 27 Lions 24
Cincinnati Bengals @ New York Jets – 1 p.m. on CBS (Ian Eagle, Charles Davis, Eva Washburn)
The Bengals are, stunningly, 0-2 as reigning AFC champions. They’re better than their record, but it’s been a struggle for Joe Burrow and their offensive line.
The Jets pulled out a once-in-25-years win last week, and while that might be great for their morale, are they really that good of a team? Sure there’s some talent on this team on both sides of the ball, but as talented as the Bengals? I don’t think so.
Game pick: Bengals 31 Jets 17
Las Vegas Raiders @ Tennessee Titans – 1 p.m. on FOX (Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma, Shannon Spake)
Two more teams that are 0-2 and in desperate need to salvage their seasons. Las Vegas is good, and they’ve shown signs of it in their first two games. Two areas where they need to improve: ball security and finishing games.
Tennessee is a mess. Their identity in years past has been physical, Tennessee Tough. That was nonexistent on Monday Night in Buffalo. The good news is they play in the weakest division in the NFL, so there’s still a lot of season left. But it’s getting late early.
Game pick: Raiders 27 Titans 20
Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Commanders – 1 p.m. on FOX (Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth, Kristina Pink)
There could be some animosity this game. Washington quarterback Carson Wentz was once a young star, MVP candidate in Philadelphia. Now, he’s trying to figure things out in Washington while Jalen Hurts has Philadelphia rolling early offensively.
Game pick: Eagles 31 Commanders 23
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Los Angeles Chargers – 4:05 p.m. on CBS (Greg Gumbel, Adam Archuleta, AJ Ross)
This is an intriguing game. The Chargers are the more talented team, but the Jaguars are scrappy. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence is getting better each week, and there’s a much better culture there with head coach Doug Pederson.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is dealing with bruised ribs, but he should be able to play on Sunday. Los Angeles should still be feeling good about themselves despite losing to Kansas City last week.
Game pick: Chargers 31 Jaguars 24
Los Angeles Rams @ Arizona Cardinals – 4:25 p.m. on FOX (Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez, Laura Okmin)
This is a crucial game early in the season. Both teams have flaws to work out, but both teams are also really talented.
Arizona pulled a rabbit out of the hat last week in Las Vegas. How did Kyler Murray make some of the plays he made? Los Angeles bounced back from their Opening Night thumping, but their defense is still a question mark. They almost blew a 28-3 lead to Atlanta.
Arizona looked written off through three quarters last week, but winning shows they are still a talented team. If they can stay afloat until wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins comes back from suspension, they’ll have a shot at contention.
Game pick: Rams 27 Cardinals 20
Atlanta Falcons @ Seattle Seahawks – 4:25 p.m. on FOX (Chris Myers, Robert Smith, Jennifer Hale)
This game may not look appetizing, but one team can come away feeling really good about themselves. Atlanta has a lot of issues, but competitiveness is not one of them. They’re showing a lot of fight. They just got to put four quarters of football together.
Seattle’s opening week win over Denver suggested they might be a competitive team this season. Did you see them last week at San Francisco? They had no chance. They haven’t scored an offensive point in their last six quarters.
Game pick: Falcons 24 Seahawks 17
Let me be Frank and Cut to the Chase 